(CNN) - Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's comments earlier this week that a "trained ape" could have done a better job securing diplomatic relations with Afghanistan than the Obama administration sparked a backlash on social media.

But a Rumsfeld aide notes that he has used the phrase before and wasn't referring specifically to President Barack Obama.

Washington (CNN) - The Obama administration will give more time to people who try to apply for health insurance coverage through the federal marketplace by Monday but encounter difficulty, administration officials said Tuesday evening.

Monday is the deadline for people to enroll in order to have coverage for this year or face penalties under the Affordable Care Act.

"Open enrollment ends March 31. We are experiencing a surge in demand and are making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment - either online or over the phone," said Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

(CNN) - The Obama administration said Sunday that action against Russia for its incursion into Crimea is working, as Moscow’s economy struggles under sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries.

"This is exactly already a real cost for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and in Russia and the economy," White House deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken said on CNN's "State of the Union."

(CNN) - Based on intelligence, Obama administration officials are very concerned the Russians are not being truthful when they say their forces near Ukraine's eastern and southern borders are merely there for training exercises, sources tell CNN.

Officials assess that Russia - as early as coming days - could use any number of pretexts to justify further military incursions into Ukraine.

Washington (CNN) - As hoop heads across the country prepare for the Big Dance, President Barack Obama's administration is banking on a new March Madness-focused campaign to help boost Obamacare enrollment.

To coincide with the start of NCAA basketball tournament, a White House official says the administration is launching an all-encompassing push around the annual basketball bonanza that will feature athletes, coaches, and others, in hopes of spurring more Americans to sign up for health care before the March 31 deadline.

The Sunday political talk shows were stacked with Republicans, and most of them said President Barack Obama has repeatedly showed weakness in his foreign policy, bolstering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s resolve and agenda in Ukraine.

If you missed any of the Sunday political chatter, we've got you covered:

Obama is not weak: Tony Blinken, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, defended the President and his response to Putin’s advancement in the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

(CNN) - Sen. Lindsey Graham defended blaming Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, explaining Wednesday that the Obama administration has set a precedent of weakness on the international stage by not following through on threatened consequences.

In an interview with CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash, the South Carolina Republican pointed to Russia granting national intelligence leaker Edward Snowden asylum, as well as President Barack Obama's supposed "red line" on chemical weapon use in Syria, as examples of threats without subsequent action.

(CNN) - Russia’s escalation in Ukraine dominated the political talk shows Sunday morning. American politicians and Obama administration officials are calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s deployment of troops to the Russian-friendly Crimean peninsula the latest provocation in a troubling series of events.

It’s also the latest foreign policy challenge facing President Barack Obama, whose tenure has been plagued by international crises ranging from two wars, an unruly North Korea and uprisings in the Middle East.

(CNN) - The Obama administration appears to be scaling back its expectations for enrollment of young adults under the Affordable Care Act.

For months, administration officials embraced estimates by the Congressional Budget Office anticipating 2.7 million of the 7 million enrollees under Obamacare by the end of March would be people between the ages of 18 and 34, or nearly 40 % of the total.

Washington (CNN) - With less than six weeks left to purchase health insurance before open enrollment closes on new Obamacare exchanges, customers still shopping for a plan finally have an online option other than the government-run HealthCare.gov.